Robert Walshe is a travel broadcaster with Q Radio Network & Travel Editor for River Newspapers Ireland & Lifestyle Northern Ireland Online - www.robertwalshe.com
TRAVEL
Home & Away with Robert Walshe Northern Ireland independent specialist tour operator Travel Solutions has expanded its local operations with the launch of a new dedicated air holiday division. Flight-based holidays on offer out of Belfast and Dublin include the beautiful Portuguese island of Madeira, otherwise known as the ‘Pearl of the Atlantic’, and Jersey, the largest of the Channel Islands and the warmest region in the British Isles. For a somewhat colder experience, the company will also operate occasional flight packages to Iceland while sports fans will be delighted to hear that air packages are now available to key sporting events across the UK and Europe. These include official Manchester United breaks, Formula One Grand Prix trips and rugby breaks – all including flights, transfers, accommodation and tickets for each event. City breaks available by air include London, Devon, Cornwall, Bournemouth, Isle of Wight and Torquay. www. travel-solutions.co.uk
Holiday Hotspot – Four Seasons Amman Jordan www.fourseasons.com Four Seasons Hotel Amman in the heart of Jordan’s capital city is set on a hilltop offering amazing views of this dynamic Middle Eastern metropolis. Four Seasons remains the undisputed hospitality leader offering the highest
standards of accommodation and service & their property here is exceptional in every way. They offer 192 generously sized guestrooms and suites with interiors designed in gold, camel and teal colours. The location here is a wonderful base for your holiday, offering landscaped gardens and a choice of dining options. The more formal “Seasons” restaurant overlooks a landscaped summer dining terrace with the feel of a hidden garden. Its open kitchen offers a sumptuous buffet, featuring Arabic mezze and a wide selection of international specialties. We dined at the splendid “Asia” restaurant serving a fusion menu of Chinese dim sum, mouth watering Japanese sushi (with silver chopsticks) and wok-fried Kong Po Canadian lobster with dry chili and cashew nuts, a trio of maki rolls, and yellow, red and green curries. After our whirlwind 24 hour trip to Petra we were delighted to return and relax at the spa offering specialist treatments combining natural sea salts and minerals, herbal botanicals and aromatherapy oils. The indoor pool under a domed ceiling with star-shaped blue glass skylights impressed but in warmer weather the outdoor pool cabanas are chic. Four Seasons Amman support local arts & culture by displaying the work of Amman’s artists with the majority of exhibits available for purchase. Tours and activities can be arranged by the con-
Pet’s Corner...
man Jordan.
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cierge desk offering guests a friendly welcome. Amman is one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world, while also thriving as a commercial and administrative centre with modern facilities, historical attractions and a longstanding tradition of hospitality. Four Seasons Amman is an excellent base from which to explore the surrounds, even the rest of the country, being no more than five hours drive from anywhere. From its position on top of a hill overlooking the city, the Citadel stands testament to the history of Amman, with its ancient ruins and excavated relics, alongside those from throughout the country, housed in the Jordan Archaeological Museum. It is the site of the ancient capital Rabbath-Ammon and numerous excavations have revealed Stone Age remains as well as those from the Roman to the Islamic periods. Also on the site is the Jordan Archaeological Museum, which has an excellent collection of artifacts from Jordan dating back to the earliest settlement in the region over 700,000 years ago. The Dead Sea Scrolls, Iron Age sarcophagi and a copy of the Mesha Stele are its most important exhibits. Below the Citadel is the magnificent Roman amphitheatre, an impressive relic from ancient Philadelphia that is cut
into the hill and can seat up to 6,000 people. The theatre is still used occasionally for events today. Two cultural museums form part of the complex: the Jordan Folklore Museum, which has exhibits on traditional life, and the Museum of Popular Traditions with traditional costumes and mosaics from 4th to 6th century Jordan churches. At the heart of downtown is the Ottoman-style King Hussein Mosque, around which the buzz and bustle is at its most interesting. Even busier at prayer times, the surrounding streets are filled with the essence of Arabia, exotic smells and rows of glittering treasures in the souq (market) amid the noise of haggling. Rainbow Street is the place to be seen these days after 1920s-era homes were turned into restaurants, gal-
Living
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leries and libraries, drawing the hip set bohemians, intellectuals and hordes of tourists. With more and more new eateries and art galleries opening up, it has attracted the likes of Hollywood couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, who once treated themselves and their children to ice cream from a local shop. King Abdullah II and his wife Queen Rania once took time off to dine at the trendy Sufra restaurant, which boasts “home-made” Jordanian cuisine so we knew we made the right choice for lunch & lemonade. www.visitjordan. com Travel +Leisure magazine asks its readers yearly to vote for their favourite hotels worldwide. This is the fourth year Four Seasons Hotel Amman has been voted onto
the list, having also been included in T+L’s Top 500 list in 2007, 2008 and 2010. To be consistently named as one of the top hotels in the world proves that the team here is among the best in the business and as a seasoned Four Seasons Ambassador I continue to marvel at this hotel groups ability to get it right every time! For best rates visit www.fourseasons. com Turkish airlines offer 10 flights a week from Dublin to Istanbul with onward connections to Amman Jordan two hours later. Turkish Airlines fly to 96 countries across the globe with new destinations including Maldives, Kilimanjaro, Sharm el Sheik, Buenos Aires and South Africa. For best fare prices www.turkishairlines.com
Home and Away Deal of the Week Hastings Hotels has created a luxurious spa package to revive, recharge and prepare you for the summer. The Summer Serenity Spa Experience is available at both The Spa at the 5-star Culloden Estate & Spa in Belfast and The Spa at the 4-star Slieve Donard Resort & Spa in Newcastle, County Down and includes: a personalised skin analysis, personalised ESPA boutique facial, ESPA oriental scalp massage, manicure or pedicure, light lunch in the juice bar, use of all the spa facilities including
swimming pool, sauna and steam rooms, hot vitality pools, gymnasium and relaxation suites. This fabulous spa experience is available for only £105 at Culloden or £115 at Slieve Donard Monday to Thursday or £135 at Culloden or £145 at Slieve Donard Friday to Sunday. Guests can enjoy even more luxury and treat themselves to and overnight stay with breakfast at the Culloden Estate and Spa from only £70pps and £55pps at the Slieve Donard Resort and Spa. www.hastingshotels.com
with Kathleen Murray
Thinking about getting a cat? At some stage in their lives people think about getting a cat. The reasons are many, sometimes a child wants a kitten, or memories of a cat in our childhood sparks the thought or someone offers us a kitten. There are, of course, people who would never get a cat because they hate cats or are afraid of them but they are the minority. Having a cat nowadays is very different from having a cat years ago. Years ago cats had kittens and homes were found for them or they just ran around with the other cats and nobody batted and eyelid. Right now in our county the cat
population has gotten out of all control. Homes are not as easily found and the need to neuter cats is very high on the priority list. Bringing home a kitten or an adult cat is a big responsibility. Cats and kittens are very easily toilet trained and make very good pets. They are easy to look after because they love routines and show up at the same time for feeding every day if they get used to a certain lifestyle. You can get them to return home every night at about 9pm so that you can take them indoors and not have every dog in your neighbourhood
barking all night, or to save your cat from being blinded by headlights and killed on the road. Cats eat anywhere so if your cat doesn’t come back at the normal feeding time then someone else is feeding it also. Cats like to wander so if you live in a built up area your cat will be visiting the neighbours... and the neighbours may not appreciate that. Cats tend to go in bathroom or bedroom windows and make themselves comfortable on a bed or sofa. Cats like to nap and they always look for a quiet place, usually somewhere soft and warm.
Anyone that has a new baby, or a young infant sleeping needs to make sure that the door and window to their room is closed so that a cat can’t venture into the room and curl up on top of their chest. Cats like lying on chests because of the heartbeat, warmth and breathing. It is very relaxing and soothing for a cat, not good though for a baby that can’t get the weight of the cat off it’s chest while it is sleeping. Cats can be vaccinated and wormed to keep them healthy. Cat poo needs to be lifted and disposed of in a proper way especially
where children are playing, and if you are pregnant then wear rubber gloves. If you have a dog also then keep the cat litter tray clean... as the dog will if you don’t. You can also have your cat micro chipped, so that if it goes missing and is found by someone else, then your name and address will show up on the scanner. In the interest of neigh-
bourly goodwill it would be good to have no more than two cats (both neutered) so that neighbours are not pulling their hair out in frustration and complaining about a load of cats going to the toilet in their garden or going in their windows. Think about the people around you when you get an animal. Your neighbours will appreciate it.